The significance of a photograph is fully realized when it
is considered in the following context -- The making of a photographic
image is, in effect, "freezing a moment in time." A particular scene
has never appeared exactly the same as it does at that moment, and it will
never look exactly the same again. If someone is present to personally
experience that moment, and is fortunate enough to retain the scene in some
detail in his or her memory, then the moment lives on. But perceptions
differ, specific details may be overlooked, memories fail, and people pass
on. It is also very difficult, if not impossible, to adequately share
that moment with others verbally. Enter the significance of the
photographic image.

Photography has profoundly enhanced the quality of my
life. The evolution of my vision, cultivated from a photographic
perspective, enables me to see what I didn't see before, and the search for
the next image leads me to places that I would not have otherwise
discovered. I enjoy sharing these "frozen
moments in time" with others, from remote wilderness waterfalls and
mountain vistas, to the scenes that may be passed by each day unaware of
simply because most people, in their too-busy lives, just don't take the
time to see.

Learning to use the equipment is relatively easy, and achieving technical
quality is a matter of paying attention to detail. However, producing
images that capture the essence of the landscape and evoke an emotional
response in the viewer is the real challenge. The intangible element which
determines the success or failure of this effort is a love for that which is
being photographed. The photographer's emotional involvement with the
subject of the photograph is the key to producing a successful image.

On
a cold October morning, as I stood alone on the shore of Moncove Lake in
Monroe County, WV , a
mist rising off of the water, the whole scene bathed in the surreal glow of
the pre-dawn light, I realized that if not for my interest in photography, I
would not have been there. Perhaps more significantly, that moment in
time, the one that I "froze" as I captured the image, would have been lost
forever.

I would be remiss if I did not
acknowledge the influence of Arnout "Sonny" Hyde, Jr. (1937-2005), the
preeminent West Virginia landscape photographer, whose images inWonderful
West Virginiamagazine
inspired me to capture the natural beauty of the landscape on film and
digital sensor.

Sonny Hyde served as inspiration, mentor, and friend to a whole generation
of West Virginia landscape photographers. As long as there are
beautiful landscape images of West Virginia being produced, Mr. Hyde's
legacy lives on. As co-founder, photographer, and long time editor ofWonderful
West Virginiamagazine, he
loved the Mountain State and was dedicated to always presenting West
Virginia in a positive light.

Even more significant than Sonny's professional accomplishments were his
kindness, generosity, and humility, evidenced by the following anecdote.
He told me on several occasions how grateful he was to the West Virginia
photographers who supported him and Wonderful West Virginia, and
that he could not have produced the magazine without our help. The
truth is that if not for Sonny's influence, many of us would not even be
landscape photographers.

West Virginia lost a true friend with his passing.

Finally, but most importantly, one
cannot have such an intimate relationship with nature and the landscape
without developing an enhanced appreciation for The One who created it all.
My Faith page examines the metaphysical aspects of
reality and the nature of our existence.